One key worker, child should stay home

[Areyouactuallyseriousrightnow]

Not sure if there has already been a thread but AIBU to think that if only one parent is key worker and other is WFH, child should be staying home as school provision is for key workers who cannot complete their important role if they have to look after child at home, not so that the other parent can continue with work without interruption?

My partner is a key worker, but I don’t consider us eligible as I am home and therefore technically can be with the children.

YABU- if there’s one key worker take that opportunity to send the child in.
YANBU- if there’s another parent at home, child should stay home.

Both DP and I are KW. He is at work And I WFH. The work I do absolutely cannot be done with my 4 and 6 year old in the house.

We are all different.

Totally agree with pp key worker list is waaaay too long.

It should be work that's absolutely critical so nurses, bin men, supermarket workers not accounts that happen to work for a nursing home

YANBU.

I don't understand why they want to put their children and themselves at more risk?

Don't even get me started on the key worker parent in DS's class who was sent her kids in back in march, despite being on maternity leave (9 months in so not even caring for a newborn). Her DH worked from home as well (before pandemic) as his own boss.

Me and my husband are both keyworkers. I am working from home but I deal with the public on telephone all day. I will be sending both my children.

I think it depends.

If one parent is a key worker and the other is a feckless twat who won’t look after the kids properly, I wouldn’t judge the key worker for sending them in. I’d judge the teat obviously! I think this is why only one needs to qualify, and also for single parents of course.

Both DH and I are key workers so DS would qualify for a space, however adult DD WFH so he stays with her so someone can have our space, school is short on spaces. If DD wasn't WFH then he would have to go in.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision#critical-workers

You are expressing an opinion, but the Government have not made a distinction in their guidance. They've simply said 'children of critical workers', which could mean one or two parents.

[quote riddles26]@Plonkyplink we are in exactly the same position. Moved in with family for first lockdown for childcare help but if children can't access childcare this time, my desperately understaffed hospital (due to staff covid sickness and isolation) will sadly be managing without me.

Sad reality is his job pays mortgage and bills, mine doesn't come close no matter how valuable it may be to society in a pandemic. Many others I work with in same boat too[/quote]
Same, my band 5 nhs job is anything like dh in finance, but let's make sure we don't get something others don't. OP why does it matter so much to you? Me and the others on this thread who have told you the positions we're in, doctors, nurses, OTs and other HCPs will just take the unpaid leave then, to make sure our bills are paid, can't get any other even paid childcare, but as long as we're not getting something people don't think we need.

I was wfh key worker during the first lockdown and it was hell looking after a 2 y/o whilst my employer doubled my workload overnight
but at least she would quietly watch the iPad for an hour. I ended up getting up at 5am to squeeze two hours work in before she woke up. My DH does a manual role that cannot be done from home.

I’m in a different key worker role now that often involves dealing with vulnerable people. Imagine if I had arranged a telephone call with you and then you had to deal with a 3 year old and 7 month old screaming in the back ground. I would be hell for both of us.

Nothing like dhs job not anything! Am stressed to the eyeballs!

Both key workers, me WFH. I have a one year old and can't work if they are home, but can if it is just the eldest child on their own at home. If they are both at home it's impossible, so I will send them in if I can. I'm the only person who can do my job, so can't just delegate to somebody else.

Who are looking after the children if the parents are "working" from home? They are either working or they are supervising kids. You can't do both, especially if they are really young. Why is there an expectation that WFH parents should neglect their kids while they work, or risk their career while they care for their kids?

It should be both (or the only in a single-parent household) keyworkers. Otherwise it isn't fair on everyone else who is really struggling with work. My OH is not quite key but still has to go to work every day so, like thousands of other people, I've had to do a combination of dropping my hours and leaving the children to get on with it.

It should also only be certain people in each "industry" not anyone in it.

No-one (at least I hope not!) begrudges key/critical workers but the categories are too wide.

Plenty people are having to take unpaid leave.

Yes they have, our household included but if the sim is to allow key workers to do their jobs, having them in a situation where they need to take unpaid leave is a bit of an own goal. Out of our two jobs, I’d be the one taking unpaid leave because we can’t afford to lose my husbands income compared to mine.

We’re both key workers. 1 wfh but my teens will be taking their places. I frankly don’t care if it pisses anybody off. We’re still living with the fall out from lockdown and one of our dc is now classed as vulnerable as a result. My Dh is in meetings all day. He can not support our dc, he just can’t. His boss has reached the end of the line re sympathy. Dh losing his job and our dc being a further draining the NHS with mental health plummeting further won’t help anybody. My boss has reminded us all of our eligibility re school places.We’re eligible due to both our jobs and vulnerability, we’re taking them. I stupidly didn’t last time. Big mistake.

Children and circumstances hugely. If children are eligible they really don’t need threads like this.

The result is that in a situation where one parent is a keyworker and the other is a non-keyworker and WFH, it can be very hard on the WFH parent. Who, as others have pointed out, is quite likely to be the main earner (given public sector wages).

It’s great for you that you can provide childcare and work at the same time. It really isn’t possible for lots of people in their jobs though, particularly if they work FT, have demanding jobs, have several children or their children are young.

It's pretty low to sit safely working from home and take the opportunity to make life a little harder for the families of key workers, who are out having to take on more daily risk on average for far lower pay than jobs that can WFH.

I'm a single parent and non key worker so am not advocating for myself here.

The non-key worker parent is not 'benefitting'. With two WFH parents, or with one furloughed/ sahm, there can be a sharing of responsibility. As a single parent I got to experience what it's like being the only parent at home, with multiple young primary and pre-primary DCs and life was impossible. Not all who WFH can be furloughed either.

Sure, if your kids are secondary this might make sense, and of course there will be a few people who work 12 hours a week in a supermarket and take the piss by grabbing a slot.

But seriously, if you're in a two parent family and both still.employed and able to WFH you're actually among the luckier group of parents so far, so why not lay off and count your blessings instead.

You should chose OP. If you can look after the children at home do.
I've volunteered to vaccinate people. On my working days, DD will need to go to school as DH can't supervise her learning.
Alternatively, I could stay at home and not vaccinate people.

Last time, the wording from the DfE made it clear that sending the children into school was only to happen if there were no other viable options rather than just because you could. As such, we had a number of parents who choose to make adjustments to allow for them to keep their children at home or who were just able to do that anyway.

However, I think this time would be different. The keyworker provision would not just be childcare as it was last time and so I think there would be more parents who apply for places.

Yes they have, our household included but if the sim is to allow key workers to do their jobs, having them in a situation where they need to take unpaid leave is a bit of an own goal. Out of our two jobs, I’d be the one taking unpaid leave because we can’t afford to lose my husbands income compared to mine.

Yes, plus it seems like a pretty shit way to thank keyworker families. Thanks for doing your job that’s essential for society’s welfare, now take a drop in household income please.

@Pringlespop

It should be two keyworkers only per household , no ifs or buts. Plenty people are having to take unpaid leave. Shouldn’t be any different if your on a 6 figure salary or a minimum wage job. Just because your on a high salary dosent make you any different. Obviously single parents are different.

Spectacularly missing the point here. Have you not read the number of posters where the key worker is the lower earner (multiple healthcare professionals already have already stated this above)?! In this case, the lower earner will take unpaid leave to do the childcare so the bigger earner can continue to work because bills need to be paid and the family needs a roof over its head. How exactly is this going to help the NHS in a time of dire staff shortages and extreme pressure??

The government deliberately said one keyworker for a reason - some schools/councils took it upon themselves to be stricter but ultimately they are relying on us not to abuse it and use sensibly.

If healthcare professionals wages had risen in line with cost of living over the past 10 years, maybe it wouldn't be such a nightmare...!

I’m a keyworker mainly wfh and that’s why I am taking the places because I can’t be screening for risk for example and having sessions with other peoples children online if mine are in the background. Yes in theory my dh could just sacrifice his higher paying job but in practice it would lead to me not doing any work. I was lucky last time I was on maternity leave so ‘just’ had to juggle a baby and preschooler and homeschooling a ks1 child which to be honest I didn’t find terribly difficult as I didn’t need to try and work.

The point of key worker provision is to allow society to continue to function.

Medical services to be provided.

Food on the shelves of supermarkets.

The criminal justice system operating.

Benefits and state pension being paid.

Bins being emptied.

Vulnerable children being protected.

And the numerous other key functions of the state.

Many (most?) critical workers are relatively low paid. Many are women part time.

Therefore in a couple if their children can’t go to school those key workers will have to take unpaid leave and there will be no one to do the key worker jobs.

The point of key worker jobs are they are key to keeping society functioning.

Public sector employees are also ineligible for furlough and therefore that is not an option.

Essentially the government has said ( whether you agree with it or not) that some jobs are more worthy and important than others and therefore key workers shouldn’t have to muddle through with their job whilst simultaneously homeschooling because they are more important

Our primary allowed where one parent was key worker though the trade off should also include risk of infection for household if key worker child attends if they don't 'need' to.

@GU24Mum

It should be both (or the only in a single-parent household) keyworkers. Otherwise it isn't fair on everyone else who is really struggling with work. My OH is not quite key but still has to go to work every day so, like thousands of other people, I've had to do a combination of dropping my hours and leaving the children to get on with it.

It should also only be certain people in each "industry" not anyone in it.

No-one (at least I hope not!) begrudges key/critical workers but the categories are too wide.

So... Your OH has to.go into work every day but doesn't qualify as 'key', but also the categories are too wide?

It's what my 8 year old would say, that she's having a tough time so everyone else should too. None of this is entirely fair. Doesn't mean we have to make.other people's lives harder so we feel less hard done by.

This has been discussed to death already.
The government has already stated that school access was for key workers' children incl when only 1 parent is a Keyworker. Why? Simple. A lot of Keyworker who cannot work at home are both essential to the pandemic and yet often not well paid. Their partner therefore may be the highest earner. If school provisions are restricted then the Keyworker will stay home to look after the kids and allow the higher earner to work.
As for your situation OP - if you can afford to have your kids at home and you feel this is what you want then go for it! Who cares! Everyone will have different situations and make different choices.